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THE COVERMasteringAutoCAD Sheet Sets

An Expert Guide

Contents

Introduction 1

Process Overview 2

Getting Started with Sheet Sets 4

Step 1: Creating a new sheet set 4

Step 2: Organizing your sheets 8

Step 3: Accessing your sheets 10

Step 4: Importing existing layouts 13

Step 5: Plotting using default page setups 15

Step 6: Publishing sheets 16

Step 7: Creating archive/transmittal sets 18

Step 8: Using named sheet selections 21

Transitioning to a Sheet Set Master 20

Step 9: Assigning sheet set properties 23

Step 10: Creating custom properties 26

Step 11: Creating new sheets 27

Step 12: Automating title block data 31

Step 13: Plotting using any page setup 37

Implementing Sheet Sets for Maximum Efficiency 43

Step 14: Creating sheet views 43

Step 15: Adding view labels 46

Step 16: Automating view label data 47

Step 17: Automating callout data 53

Conclusion 60

1

Introduction

Begin taking advantage of sheet set functionality for your current projects withminimal effort by importing your current drawing layouts into a sheet set. You caneasily open drawings from a central location while you continue to edit thosedrawings using traditional tools. Create new sheets using traditional tools andthen import those sheets into your current sheet set. Easily plot, publish, archive orcreate an electronic transmittal of the entire set of drawings.When you feel comfortable using the most basic sheet set functionality, you canbegin assigning sheet set properties and even create custom properties. Assign adrawing template file to the sheet set to easily create new sheets directly from thesheet set manager and include fields to help automate title block data. Finally, youcan easily plot to any named page setup, regardless of the page setup that is savedin each of the drawing layouts. Moving on to the most powerful sheet setfunctionality, you can create sheet views and use fields to automate callouts andview labels.Using the process described in this ebook you can immediately begin reaping thebenefits of Sheet Set functionality while slowly (or quickly) progressing througheach level of implementation from the simplest to the most complex. Spend just afew minutes each week (or each month) until you’ve created a fully functionalsheet set with minimum disruption to your current workflow.

Whether you design manufactured parts, maps, or buildings, thesheet set functionality in AutoCAD enables you to efficientlycreate, manage, and share your entire set of sheets from oneconvenient location. At first glance, the powerful functionalityoffered by the Sheet Set Manager may seem overwhelming butyou don’t have to learn and implement all of the functionalitysimultaneously.

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Process OverviewThe drawing file created by the Sheet Set Manager (SSM) is just like any drawing youcreate using traditional methods. You can draw geometry in model space, createadditional layout tabs, etc. The only technical limitation is that each sheet in the SSMsheet list can only point to one layout in a drawing file. If you have more than onelayout in your drawing, you can import those additional layouts into your sheet list.There is no technical reason why you shouldn’t have multiple layouts in yourdrawing, however the new sheet set paradigm or “best practice” is to have one sheetdrawing (DWG file) for each sheet in your set. The main benefit for this is to enablemultiple users to work on different sheets at the same time. If you have two sheetsthat point to different layouts within the same drawing, the drawing file will belocked as soon as one person opens one of those sheets, which is how AutoCAD hasalways worked.Even if the intended process for implementing sheet sets deviates from your currentworkflow, don’t be deterred from using them. You can accomplish more than half theprocess without changing your current workflow while enjoying significantproductivity gains all along the way.Below is a quick overview of how sheet sets are intended to work.1. Create your model geometry in its own drawing file (DWG). Continue to create

model geometry in modelspace including xrefs, nested xrefs, etc. In that particular DWG file, focus on nothing but the model… try to forget that the layout tab even exists, this is your “model file”. From now on, let the “sheet file” deal with the layout.

2. Create a new sheet in the sheet set manager. This will create a new drawing file (DWG) with an active layout tab. The sheet name in the sheet list is simply a shortcut to that layout in the DWG file.

3. Open the sheet, which is really opening the drawing file with that sheet layout active.

4. Add resource drawing views to the sheet layout. This is where you create layout viewports and attach the model drawings as xrefs. Using the sheet set paradigm as it was intended, you collect design information from other sources (external references attached in model space) and assemble them into a sheet layout (titleblock, viewports, notes, etc in paper space). The only objects that should exist in model space are the attachments to external files.

5. Add sheet information to the sheet layout. You might add sheet notes or other sheet (paper space) information that is specific to the sheet. Although you can (technically) draw in model space, create more layouts, etc, the intention is for this particular DWG file to be a single sheet with external references to model drawings.

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The above process isn’t strictly enforced with sheet sets. However, you shouldconsider how you can transition to this process so that you can take full advantageof Sheet Set functionality.Aside from separating your Model and Layout into two different drawings, thegeneral concepts (xrefs, model space, viewports, layouts) should be familiar to you.You can get started with sheet sets (Steps 1-8) and transition to a sheet set master(Steps 9-13) without significantly changing your current process. You’ll likely seethe most significant changes to your current workflow when you implement sheetsets for maximum efficiency (Steps 14-17).It’s important to remember, however, that regardless of how many steps youimplement, sheet sets enable you to save time and work more efficiently! So, whatare you waiting for?

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Getting StartedEven if you only have a few minutes every few days, weeks ormonths, you can begin taking advantage of sheet setfunctionality. This section shows you how!

The first step in implementing sheet set functionality is to create a sheet set. Youcan create a sheet set using an example sheet set or by importing existing drawinglayouts as sheets. Although AutoCAD includes several example sheet sets, it isunlikely that they will meet your specific needs. A simpler method for creating yourfirst sheet set is to import drawings from one of your existing projects. After youconfigure your first sheet set to meet your needs, you can use it as an example tocreate future sheet sets.In order for you to create a new sheet set based on existing drawings, thosedrawings must use layouts. Don’t worry about “messing up” your drawings bycreating a sheet set. A sheet set file is simply a file with a DST extension, which haspointers to your drawing files.1. Begin the Create Sheet Set wizard.

• From the Application menu, choose New > Sheet Set.• In the Create Sheet Set wizard, select Existing drawings.

2. Specify the name and location for the sheet set file. The sheet set file is anXML-based file, with a DST extension. You can think of it as your project file.

• Enter a name for the sheet set. Typically, this would be the project name.• Provide a description for the sheet set. The description is optional.• Specify the location to store the sheet set data file. Typically, this would

be the main folder for this project.3. Select the appropriate layouts to import.

• Choose Browse and navigate to the folder where your project drawings arelocated. Typically, this would be the main folder that includes projectdrawings and/or drawing subfolders.

• Expand the folders and drawings so that you can see all the layouts thatyou want to include as sheets in the sheet set. If your drawings includemultiple layouts, they will be displayed in the list.

Step 1: Creating a new sheet set

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• Select all of the layouts to be included as sheets in the sheet set.Remember to select only the drawings/layouts that you want to berepresented as sheets. For example, you wouldn’t select drawings ofmodel geometry that are used as xrefs.

4. Specify the appropriate import options.• Choose Import Options.

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• Specify the options that fit your situation. If you want the drawing filename to be included as part of the sheet name, choose the option to prefixsheet titles with file name. If you want to create subsets in the sheet setfile that match your folders, choose the option to create subsets based onfolder structure. Subsets are like visual folders that enable you to organizeyour sheets in the sheet list. If you don’t want to create a subset of themain folder from which you are importing your drawings, you can chooseIgnore top level folder. Don’t worry too much about these options becauseyou can always reorganize your sheet set later.

5. Finalize the sheet set.• Review the sheet set structure. You can preview your sheet set before

completing the sheet set process. If the sheet set preview is missingsheets or has extra sheets that should not be included, you can use theback button so select different folders, drawings, layouts, or importoptions.

• Choose Finish. When you are satisfied with the sheet set preview, you cancomplete the sheet set creation process.

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After exiting the Create Sheet Set wizard, your sheet set data file will automaticallyopen on the Sheet List tab of the SSM. The sheet names in the sheet list are likeshortcuts or pointers to the layouts in your DWG files. The drawings have notchanged and AutoCAD didn't create new drawings or folders. All it did was create asheet set data file with a list of sheets that link to your existing drawings. Now youcan use the SSM to organize and open your drawing sheets. Right-click on a sheetname and choose Rename and Renumber to enter a sheet number or change thesheet title. Drag and drop sheets to reorganize them in the sheet list. And, double-click on the sheet name to open the associated drawing in the drawing editor. Evenif you only use the SSM as a tool for opening your drawings, you will save time andincrease efficiency. You no longer have to navigate through complex folderstructures or remember archaic file names. Just double click on the sheet name!Are you worried about “messing up” your drawings as you experiment with thesheet set manager? Read on…

TIP: At this point, absolutely nothing in your drawings has changed. However, ifthe sheet set is open in the SSM and you open and save the drawings that arebeing pointed to by the sheet set, a small piece of data will be saved with thedrawings. This data is called a “hint” and it tells the drawing (DWG) files whichsheet set they belong to. Having the hint in a drawing enables AutoCAD toautomatically open the appropriate sheet set even if you open the drawingusing traditional methods. The “hint” is the only change that AutoCAD will maketo your original drawing files. If, for some reason, you want to “undo” the sheetset, you can right-click on the sheet set name and choose Close Sheet Set andthen delete the sheet set data file (DST). If you delete the DST file without firstclosing the sheet set, the DST file will be automatically recreated. After yousuccessfully delete the DST file, you can open and save the associated drawingsto remove the hints.

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Have you successfully created a sheet set based on the information in the previoussection? If so, you’re ready to move on to the next step and take advantage ofmore Sheet Set functionalities. You will now use the Sheet Set Manager to organizeyour sheets.1. Edit sheet names and numbers.

• Right-click on a sheet name and choose Rename and Renumber.• Enter the appropriate name and number. You can use the Next and

Previous buttons in the dialog to move up and down the sheet list, withinSubsets.

• You also have the option to rename the layout and filename of theassociated drawing to match the new sheet title. In order for you to createa new sheet set based on existing drawings, those drawings must uselayouts. Don’t worry about “messing up” your drawings by creating a sheetset. A sheet set file is simply a file with a DST extension, which haspointers to your drawing files.

2. Remove a sheet from the sheet set. Right-click on a sheet and choose RemoveSheet to remove it from the sheet set. When you remove a sheet from the sheetset, you are not deleting the drawing from the folder. You are simply removingthe shortcut that points to the drawing.

Step 2: Organizing your sheets

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3. Add subsets.• Right-click in the sheet set name or a subset and choose New Subset. You

can create subsets and nested subsets to help organize your sheets on thesheet list.

• Enter a name for the subset. A subset is like a visual folder in your sheetlist. By default, adding a subset does not create a folder on your harddrive, although you do have the option by selecting Yes under “CreateFolder Hierarchy”

4. Choose OK.

5. Remove subsets. Right-click on a subset and choose Remove Subset. You canonly remove subsets that do not contain sheets.

6. Rearrange sheets and subsets. Drag and drop sheets and subsets to rearrangeyour sheet list.

TIP: As you renumber sheets or drag and drop them to new locations, you willprobably notice that the sheet numbers do not automatically update to reflecttheir position in the sheet list. If you want the sheet numbers to correspond totheir order in the sheet list, you must manually change the sheet number asdescribed in the first step. You might wonder about the purpose of the sheetnumber and name. At this point, the sheet name and number are doing nothingmore than enabling you to view and access your drawing sheets by knowingtheir sheet numbers and/or names rather than knowing their file names andlocations. As you continue to build on sheet set functionality, the value of thesheet names and numbers will become more obvious.

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The SSM is a great way to organize your sheets and access them from a centrallocation. But what if you want to include this sheet list as textual information in adrawing? Using the SSM, you can easily add a sheet list table to one of the sheetsin the sheet set. You can even use the sheet list table to quickly open any of thesheets in the list.1. Open a sheet in the AutoCAD window. Double-click on the sheet in which you

want to add a sheet list table. Typically this would be a cover sheet or titlesheet.

2. Insert a sheet list table.• In the SSM, right-click on the sheet set title and choose Insert Sheet List

Table.• In the Insert Sheet List Table dialog box, select a table style. If you don’t

have an appropriate table style, you can create one. Creating and usingtable styles is similar to creating and using text or dimension styles. Forexample, create a table style called Sheet List, which uses the appropriatefont size, color, etc. Then use that table style every time you need to createa sheet list. Using table styles will save you time and ensure consistencyfrom project to project. Since table styles are saved in the drawing, addyour desired table styles to your template drawing(s) so that you willalways have them available.

Step 3: Accessing your sheets

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• Specify the Table Data Settings that you want to include in the Sheet ListTable. By default, Sheet Number and Sheet Title are included in the list.You can select Add or Remove to change how many columns are includedin the sheet list table and you can click on the items in the Data Types listto change their content. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons tochange the order in which the data will be displayed.

• Choose OK.• Place the table on the sheet. The sheet list table is an AutoCAD table

object that contains fields for the sheet set data such as sheet number andsheet name. Since this is a table object, you can use typical table editingcommands to change its appearance. However, any edits you make will belost the next time you update the sheet list. For this reason, you shouldnot make any edits directly to the sheet list table. If you want to changeits appearance, you should edit its table style and/or edit the sheet listtable settings.

3. Edit the Sheet List Table settings. After you insert a sheet list table, you canedit its settings.

• Select the sheet list table in the drawing.• Right-click and choose Edit Sheet List Table Settings.

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• Change the table style, title, or column settings as necessary. Any changesthat you make using this method will be retained even when you refreshthe table data.

4. Change the contents of the sheet list in the SSM• Add, remove, rename, or renumber the sheets in the SSM. Notice that the

data in the drawing’s sheet list table, does not change dynamically. Youmust force the table to update.

5. Update the sheet list table.• Select the sheet list table in the drawing.• Right-click and choose Update Sheet List Table. The sheet list table

updates to reflect any changes to the sheet list in the SSM.

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6. Access sheets from the sheet list table. You can easily open any of the drawingsheets from the sheet list table by pressing the CTRL key and picking on thesheet name or number.

With sheet list tables, you can begin to appreciate how the sheet names, numbersand other data in the SSM can be used to create meaningful and automated textualdata in your drawings.

Step 4: Importing existing layoutsIf you’ve been following this process fromthe beginning, you created your sheet setusing existing drawings. This methodenabled you to quickly create a new sheetset with pointers to the layouts in thosedrawings. But what if you have otherdrawings that you want to include in thesheet set? For example, maybe a consultantemailed you a new drawing or maybe youforgot to include a few drawings when youfirst created the sheet set. You can “import”additional drawing layouts into your sheetset using the SSM. The term “import”,however, may not be what you expect fromyour experience with importing other datain AutoCAD. Remember that the sheets inthe SSM sheet list are nothing more thanshortcuts or pointers to layouts indrawings. So, when you “Import Layouts asSheets” what you’re really doing is simplycreating a new pointer to an existingdrawing.1. Right-click on the sheet list and choose

Import Layout as Sheet. Where youright-click determines where the newsheet will be added to the sheet list. Ifyou right-click on the sheet set name,the new sheet will be added to the endof the sheet list. If you right-click on asubset, the new sheet will be added tothe end of the subset. If you right-clickon a sheet, the new sheet will be addedbelow that sheet. Regardless of whereyou right-click, you can always drag anddrop the new sheet to a proper location.

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2. Choose Browse for Drawings and select the drawing that contains the layoutyou want to add. After you select a drawing, all of that drawing’s layouts arelisted in the Import Layouts as Sheets dialog box. You can select the layoutsthat you want to import. You have the option to prefix the sheet title with thefile name. Note that you cannot import a layout that belongs to another SheetSet.

3. Choose Import Checked. The newly added sheet is just like any other sheet inthe sheet list. You can rename, renumber and reorganize your sheets asnecessary. As you implement sheet set functionality one step at a time, you andother members of the project team can continue to create new drawings usingtraditional methods and then import them into the sheet set using this method.

TIP: If you want to add a layout from a currently open drawing, you can left-click drag+drop the layout tab directly into the SSM palette; this will take you tostep 3 above.

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Note that layouts that already belong to one sheet set, cannot be added to anyother sheet set. You can see this in the status column of the last sheet in thedialog above.As you implement sheet set functionality one step at a time, you and othermembers of the project team can continue to create new drawings usingtraditional methods and then import them into the sheet set using either method.

In the previous sections, you learned everything you need to know in order to usethe SSM as your primary tool for accessing drawings. You created a new sheet setusing existing drawing layouts and you learned how to import additional sheetsinto that sheet set. Combine that with the ability to plot your sheets using theirdefault page setups and you can save a huge amount of time over the life of yourproject. Even if you only take advantage of sheet set functionality for these fewtasks, it will have been worth your effort.Think about how you plot your sheets without using the SSM. Imagine that you’reworking on Project B when someone sends you an urgent request asking you toplot all of the sheets for Project A. You stop what you’re doing and begin openingthe drawings for Project A, one at a time. Of course, that is after you navigate tothe Project A folder and locate the correct subfolders and drawing files. Project Aincludes several versions of subfolders and drawing files and you have to becareful to find the correct ones. Each time you find an appropriate drawing; youopen it, select the appropriate layout, and plot. While you’re busy opening andplotting drawings, your coworkers are frustrated. They’re trying to edit theseProject A drawings but they can’t because you have the drawings locked.Using the SSM for plotting can significantly reduce the amount of time you spendplotting your drawings. Even if you are unfamiliar with a project, you can quicklyplot the entire sheet set without having to open and view each drawing file. Yourcoworkers can continue editing the drawings while you use the SSM to send theentire set of sheets to their default plot device. Keep in mind, however, that thismethod assumes each sheet has been saved with the proper page setup. Usingthis method is the same as opening the drawing, selecting the layout and choosingPlot, without making any changes to the page setup. Later you’ll learn how tooverride the default page setups on the fly!

1. Select sheets to plot. In the SSM, select the sheets you want to plot. You canuse the Shift and CTRL keys to specify a range or specific sheets. You can alsoselect subsets or the entire sheet set.

2. Right-click and choose Publish>Publish to Plotter.

Step 5: Plotting using default page setups

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You can continue to take advantage of sheet set functionality by publishing yoursheets to PDF or DWF format. Prior to publishing your sheets to PDF or DWF files,you can set various options.1. Set PDF or DWF publishing options.

• Right-click on the Sheet Set title and choose Publish>Sheet Set PDFPublish Options.

Step 6: Publishing sheets

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• Here you can set the location for the output PDF file(s), specify whether tocreate one or multiple files, include layer information, and more.

• Similar options are available if you right-click on the Sheet Set title andchoose Publish>Sheet Set DWF Publish Options.

• Choose OK. Whether you choose PDF or DWF for your digital print files isup to you. Once you’re done configuring the settings, you are ready topublish. This, of course, assumes that your sheets are pre-configured witha good page setup. In other words, using traditional methods you shouldbe able to open the sheet, run the PLOT command, and press OK toproceed without making any changes.

2. Select sheets to publish. In the SSM, select the sheets you want to publish. Youcan use the Shift or Ctrl keys to specify a range or specific sheets. You can alsoselect subsets or the entire sheet set.

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3. Publish selected sheets.• Right-click and choose Publish>Publish to PDF or Publish to DWF. You can

also select the Publish button at the top of the SSM. The DWF or PDF file(s)will be created using the current sheet set publish options. The files arepublished in the background, similar to plotting. You will be notified whenthe publish operation is complete.

• Close the Plot and Publish balloon notification.

Did you ever send someone a drawing file only to have them respond with anurgent request to “SEND THE XREFS!” You can avoid those urgent requests witheTransmit because it automatically packages the drawing and its associated files,such as xrefs, images, and fonts, into a single folder, zip or self-extractingexecutable. When you send the transmittal set rather than just the drawing, youhelp ensure that the recipient has all of the necessary files. You can use eTransmitwithout using sheet sets. However, when you use eTransmit in the currentdrawing, it only packages the files associated with that particular drawing. You canmanually add other drawings to the transmittal set, but that process can be time-consuming for many drawings. Using eTransmit with a sheet set enables you topackage multiple drawings and all of their associated files with minimal effort.1. Close or save drawings. You must close or save any open sheet set drawings

that have been edited. However, if you close all of the drawings, AutoCAD willbe in a zero-document state and most of the right-click options will be grayedout. If that happens, just use File>New to create a new blank drawing.

2. Select sheets to include in the transmittal set. In the SSM, you can use the Shiftand Ctrl keys to select a range or specific sheets. You can also select subsets orthe entire sheet set.

3. Create a transmittal set.• Right-click and choose eTransmit.• In the Create Transmittal dialog box, select Transmittal Setups.

Step 7: Creating archive/transmittal sets

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• In the Transmittal Setups dialog box, create or modify a transmittal setup.By default, AutoCAD includes a Standard transmittal setup. You can modifythe Standard transmittal setup or create any number of new ones. Forexample, you might create a transmittal setup to save all the drawings to azip file in AutoCAD 2010 file format while another one saves all thedrawings to a self-extracting executable with all of the reference pathsremoved. The transmittal setups you create for a sheet set are saved in thesheet set data file. However, you can import transmittal setups fromanother sheet set using the Import option in the Transmittal Setups dialogbox. When you create transmittal setups in a drawing without using sheetset functionality, they are saved in the registry under the current user.

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• In the Create Transmittal dialog box, you can use the Sheets, Files Tree, orFiles Table tabs to add and remove files from the transmittal set. Whenyou use eTransmit in a drawing without a sheet set, the Sheets tab is notdisplayed.

• Choose View Report if you want to see a comprehensive list of all the filesand sheet set information included with the transmittal set.

• Choose OK to close the Create Transmittal dialog box and create thetransmittal set.

4. Create an Archive set. Creating an archive set is very similar to creating atransmittal set. They use the same underlying technology but Archive has beensimplified for the single purpose of archiving the sheet set. You might create anarchive set only one time, at the end of a project. Or you might create them atkey milestones throughout the project.

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• On the Sheet List tab of the SSM, right-click on the sheet set name andchoose Archive. Unlike eTransmit, Archive is only available for a sheet set.Similar to eTransmit, you must close or save any open drawings that havebeen edited. But remember, you cannot be in zero-document state.

• In the Archive a Sheet Set dialog box, you can modify Archive Setupoptions similar to eTransmit. Like eTransmit, the Archive setup is savedwith the sheet set data file.

• However, unlike eTransmit, you can only have one Archive Setup and youcannot import it from another sheet set.

• You can use the Sheets, Files Tree, or Files Table tabs to add and removefiles from the archive set.

Whether you create a transmittal set or an archive set, the original files are notmodified. AutoCAD makes a copy of the files using the criteria you specified in thetransmittal or archive setup.

As you continue to use more sheet set functionality, you might want to havedifferent sheet selections. For example, you might want to plot the entire sheet setfor a design review and create a transmittal set of just the floor plan and lightingdrawings for the lighting vendor. You may find yourself wanting to access thesevarious selections of sheets many times throughout the project. Rather thanhaving to scroll through and select the appropriate sheets each time, you cancreate named sheet selections.1. Create Named sheet selections. You will repeat this process for each named

sheet selection you want to create.• Select several sheets and/or subsets using the Shift or Ctrl keys. These are

the sheets that you want to include in the named sheet selection.• From the Sheet Selections drop-down list, choose Create. If you have

multiple sheets selected, you can also right-click and choose Save SheetSelection.

Step 8: Using named sheet selections

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• Enter a name for the sheet selection. You might create named sheetselections such as Client set, Design review, Architectural sheets, andLandscape sheets.

• Choose OK.2. Restore different named sheet selections.

• From the Sheet Selections drop-down list, choose one of your namedsheet selections. The sheets that you had selected when you created thenamed sheet selection are highlighted and ready for you to plot, publish,or etransmit.

3. Manage named sheet selections.• From the Sheet Selections drop-down list, select Manage.• Choose Rename or Delete.

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Transitioning to a New Sheet Set Master

If you’ve been following the described workflow using your own project, you’vebeen able to take advantage of sheet set functionality with minimal effort.However, if you want to fully implement sheet sets for maximum productivity, youwill need to assign various sheet set properties.You will find the sheet set properties by right-clicking on the sheet set title in theSheet List tab of the Sheet Set Manager and selecting Properties.

Note that you will also find a Properties option in the right-click menu for subsetsand sheets. Depending on which item you right-click, selecting Properties willdisplay different dialog boxes (Sheet Set Properties, Subset Properties, SheetProperties) enabling you to view and change the relevant properties for thatparticular item. In this section you’ll focus on the Sheet Set Properties.

Step 9: Assigning sheet set properties

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The Sheet Set Properties dialog includes three panels: Sheet Set, Project Control,and Creation. The Sheet Set section includes properties for the Name, Sheet setdata file, Description, Model view, Label block for views, Callout blocks, and Pagesetup overrides files.The Name property is for the name of the sheet set. It uses the name you providedwhen you created the sheet set with the Create Sheet Set Wizard (see Step 1:Creating a new sheet set). That name was also used for the name of the sheet setdata file (DST) as you can see by viewing the Sheet set data file property. You canchange the name of the sheet set using the Sheet Set Properties dialog box.However, the name of the sheet set data file will not change. If you want to changethe name of the sheet set data file, you must close the sheet set in the Sheet SetManager and then use Windows Explorer to rename the DST file. The Descriptionproperty may be blank depending if you entered a description when you firstcreated the sheet set. You can create or edit the description in the Sheet SetProperties if you wish.

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The Sheet Set Manager enables you to define custom properties to use as fields inyour drawings. You can define custom properties that apply to the entire sheet setor vary per sheet. For example, you might create custom properties for the projectname and project number. When you enter values for those properties, you wantthem to apply to every sheet in the sheet set. Additionally, you might createcustom properties indicating who created or reviewed a particular sheet. For thoseproperties, you want the values to vary by sheet.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, on the Sheet List tab, right-click on the sheet set

title and choose Properties.2. In the Sheet Set Properties window, choose Edit Custom Properties.

3. In the Custom Properties dialog box, choose Add.4. In the Add Custom Property dialog box, enter the name, default value and

owner for your custom property and repeat the process for each property youwant to create. The following image shows examples of some typical customproperties that you may wish to create. Notice that the information whichapplies to the entire sheet set (i.e. project name, total sheets, etc) is owned bythe sheet set and the information that might vary from sheet to sheet is ownedby the Sheet. You can enter a default value for any of the custom properties.For example, if most of your projects are for a particular client, you might enterthat client name and address in the default values. If the values for thoseproperties always change, you can leave the “value” value as a default or,better yet, enter meaningful data so that when you insert these properties asfields, the field value will help assure you that you’ve selected the proper field.

Step 10: Creating custom properties

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After you create your custom sheet set properties, you can insert them as fields inyour drawings. You can use them anywhere that you can insert a field but the mostobvious use for these custom properties is in your titleblock.

When you create a new drawing using traditional methods (i.e. the NEWcommand), you must use an existing drawing file as a template. The existingdrawing could be a DWG (drawing), DWT (template), or DWS (standards) file. Itmight be one of the default AutoCAD drawing files or, more likely, it is your owncustomized drawing that contains layers, title block, and other information specificto your project or company. Up until now (assuming you are following thisworkflow) you have been creating new drawings using traditional methods andthen importing the layouts into the Sheet Set Manager (SSM). To create newsheets more efficiently, you can set the sheet creation properties in the sheet setto use a template file and then create your new sheets directly from the SSM.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose

Properties.2. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, select the Sheet Creation Template and

choose the button to access the Select Template dialog box. By default, thesheet creation template uses a template (DWT) file that is installed withAutoCAD. You want to change this property so that it uses your own templatefile.

Step 11: Creating new sheets

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3. In the Select Template dialog box, navigate to your template file and chooseOpen. The Select Layout as Sheet Template dialog box will display. It list all ofthe layouts that are included in the template file.

4. Select a layout and choose OK. If you have multiple layouts, select the one thatyou use most frequently.

5. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, set the Prompt for Template property toYes or No as appropriate. By default, this property is set to No. This means thatevery time you create a new sheet in the sheet set, AutoCAD will automaticallyuse the template file which is assigned to the Sheet Creation Templateproperty. If you always (or almost always) use the same template file, youshould select No. If you frequently need different template files, you can setthis property to Yes so that AutoCAD will prompt you to select a template fileand layout each time you create a new sheet in the sheet set. You can alsoassign different sheet creation templates based on the subset in which you arecreating the new sheet.

6. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, select the Sheet Storage Location andchoose the button to access the Browse for Folder dialog box.

7. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, navigate to the folder where you wantdrawing files (DWG) for the new sheets to be created. The location you specifydepends on the folder structure of your project. If you store all of your projectdrawings (sheets) in one folder, select that folder. If you organize yourdrawings in subfolders, you may want different sheet storage locations basedon the subsets in your sheet set. As you move forward with sheet sets youmight want to consider creating separate folders for “sheet” drawings versus“model” drawings. You’ll learn more about that later.

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8. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, choose OK. A dialog box appears andreminds you that changes were made to the sheet set and asks if you want toapply your changes to all of the nested subsets. This relates back to myprevious comments about the ability to specify different sheet creationtemplates and locations based on subsets.

9. In this dialog box, specify if you want to apply the changes to all nestedsubsets. If you choose Apply changes to nested subsets, then the sheetcreation properties will be consistent for the entire sheet set regardless ofwhere you create the new sheet within the sheet list. If you choose Continuewithout changes to nested subsets, you may get different sheet creationbehavior depending in which, if any, subset you create the new sheet.

10. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose NewSheet.

11. In the New Sheet dialog box:• Review the Folder Path and Sheet Template. They should match the

location and template file that you specified in the sheet set properties.

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• Enter a sheet number and title. As you enter the number and title, AutoCADautomatically enters them for the file name. You can name the fileanything you want. It’s recommended that you remove number from thefile name to avoid future confusion because if you renumber the sheets inthe sheet set, the sheet number and the file name will be different. Yourcurrent practice might be to include the sheet number in the file name tohelp you identify the drawing in your project folder. However, with sheetsets, that "old" practice is unnecessary because the SSM enables you tomanage sheet numbers and access the correct drawing files.

• Choose OK. AutoCAD automatically creates a new drawing and adds thesheet to the sheet list. Remember that the sheet in the sheet list is simplya link (shortcut) to a layout in the DWG file.

12. Double-click on the new sheet to verify that it used the correct template.

TIP: If you want to apply different sheet creation properties based on thesubset, you can right-click on a subset and choose Properties to modify the newsheet location, template, and prompt option for that particular subset. Then,when you right-click on that subset and choose New Sheet, AutoCAD will createthe new sheet within that subset using those particular sheet creationproperties.

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AutoCAD offers considerable flexibility in the way you create and edit your titleblocks. For example, you might attach your title block as an external reference butstore the title block data as text within each drawing. Alternatively, you mightinsert your title block in a template file and then edit title block attributes eachtime you create a new drawing from the template. Regardless of how you createand use your drawing title blocks, you can significantly automate the process ofupdating title block data by using fields. The field functionality in AutoCAD enablesyou to include sheet set data in your drawing title blocks so that, as sheet andsheet set information changes, the title block data is always current. To automateyour titleblock data, you must replace the existing data with field codes. You caninsert field codes using the Field dialog box that is accessible in most text andattribute editing tools. The Field dialog box includes field codes for common datasuch as current date, sheet number, and drawing name. In addition to using thepredefined field codes, you can insert custom sheet set fields that you createyourself.While there are many ways to create a title block, the most common is to use ablock definition with attributes for the various title block data and include thatblock on the layout of a template file. That is the method used below to describehow to automate your title block data but keep in mind that you can apply much ofthis information to other methods as well.If your title block is inserted in a template file you want to update your title blockto include fields, your first instinct might be to open the template file and edit thetitle block from there. Although this method will work, it does not offer you instantfeedback as you select various sheet set fields because the template file itself isnot a sheet in the sheet set. If you make a mistake somewhere along the way, youwill spend far more time trying to troubleshoot than you spent on the initial setup.The easiest way to add fields to your title block, with the assurance that you areselecting the proper fields, is to work with it as part of the sheet set.

In Step 11: Creating new sheets, you (hopefully) updated your sheet set propertiesso that your sheet set uses your existing drawing template to automatically createnew sheets in the sheet set. That sheet creation template is, presumably, the samefile that you want to update with fields. So, if you create a new sheet in the sheetset and it uses that template, how does the new sheet compare to the templatefile? It is exactly the same, right? It is just like using the traditional methods ofselecting File>New and choosing your template. The new drawing is exactly thesame as the template file. The only difference when creating a new sheet as part ofa sheet set is that the new drawing is actually a sheet in the sheet set. Because it isa sheet in the sheet set, when you insert sheet set fields, you will immediatelyknow if you have the right field because it will display the current sheet set data. Ifyou add fields directly to the default template file, which is being used by thesheet set but isn’t actually a sheet in the sheet set, your sheet set fields willdisplay as pound or hashtag “#” signs because AutoCAD has no relevant values toinsert.

Step 12: Automating title block data

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CAUTION: Before describing what to do next, it may be even more important foryou to learn what NOT to do! The most common mistake people make at thispoint is to either double-click or use BATTMAN to edit the title block.Double-click on the titleblock and add fields for each of the attributes. Thisresponse is completely understandable because you’ve been trained to double-click. If you want to change something about an object in the drawing, double-click! Yes, that is the natural response, but you should never double-click on ablock reference to add fields to attributes. Why? Because when you double-clickon a block reference with attributes, AutoCAD displays the Enhanced AttributeEditor, which is how you edit the “Value” of an attribute instance. It does notenable you to edit the attribute definition itself. Although you could right-clickin the Value box and choose Insert Field and everything might appear to work,somewhere down the line (tomorrow, next week, next year) someone is going toerase and reinsert the title block and if you updated the “Value” of the instancerather than the “Default” of the attribute definition, your title blockautomations will be gone. NEVER add fields to an attribute “value”. Insert themas a “default” in the attribute definition.

To ensure that you insert the proper sheet set fields the first time (and minimizethe amount of trouble-shooting), it’s strongly recommended that you create a newsheet in the sheet set, add the fields to the title block, remove the new sheet fromthe sheet set, and then save the new drawing (with the updated titleblock) overyour old template file. This may sound complicated but it really isn’t. It is just likemaking a copy of your template file, updating it and then replacing the old one.

1. In the Sheet Set Manager, on the Sheet List tab, right-click and choose NewSheet.

2. In the New Sheet dialog box, enter values for the sheet number and title. Sinceyou will eventually remove this sheet from the sheet set, the values you enterdon’t necessarily matter. However, it’s recommended that you entermeaningful values so that when you insert the sheet number and sheet titlefields in your title block, you will get useful feedback to help ensure you haveselected the correct sheet set fields. For example, you could use “SheetNum”and "SheetTitle" for the sheet number and title.

3. In the Sheet Set Manager, double-click on the new sheet to open it in thedrawing editor. This opens the new sheet (drawing file) which is exactly likeyour template.

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4. Access the attribute definitions for each title block attributes for which youwant to insert a field using whatever method you choose. (BATTMAN, REFEDIT,BEDIT, EXPLODE). Regardless of the method you choose, you will know you areadding the fields to the attribute definition rather than the attribute value ifthe label says “Default” instead of “Value”.

• BATTMAN (Block ATTribute MANager) is a tool that you can use to edit yourblock attribute definitions without exploding and redefining the block. Yes,this is a natural response and yes, it seems like it should work…. And it does.HOWEVER, attribute functionality was specifically designed (way back) sothat if you updated the default value of an attribute in a block definition,those default values would not apply to existing attributes in blockinsertions. This was intentional behavior because if you had many attributesin many block instances for which you had entered individual attributevalues, you might not want all of those values to be instantly replaced by thedefault value.

• What about ATTSYNC? ATTSYNC will update existing block insertions toinclude new/updated attribute definitions but it does NOT update attributevalues for existing block insertions.

• REFEDIT and BEDIT have the same issues as BATTMAN.You can use any of these methods to update the attribute definitions but youmust erase and reinsert the title block to ensure that the attributes in the blockinsertion are using the new attribute definitions. Alternatively, you can simplyexplode, update, and then redefine the title block. However, keep in mind that ifyou explode your title block, any dynamic block functionality within the titleblock definition will be lost.

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5. Right-click in Default and select Insert Field.

6. In the Field dialog box, select the appropriate Field category and Field name.The field category and name that you choose depends on the attribute you arecurrently editing. For example, if you want the attribute to display the currentdate, you would select the Date & Time field category and the Date field name.Most of the fields that you will use for titleblock data are in the SheetSet fieldcategory and the field names begin with “CurrentSheet”. Using theCurrentSheet fields in your title block enables AutoCAD to read the values thatapply to any sheet in which the title block is inserted. For example, you willprobably want attributes that display the CurrentSheetNumber andCurrentSheetTitle.If you created custom sheet set properties, you can access them using theCurrentSheetSetCustom and CurrentSheetCustom field names. Of these twocustom options, the one you select depends if the custom property you createdis owned by the sheet set or by the sheet. A drop-down list enables you to seeall of the available custom properties. For example, if you created a customsheet set property called Project Name, which is owned by the sheet set, youwould select the CurrentSheetSetCustom field name and then select ProjectName from the Current Property Name list.As you apply fields to your attribute definitions, you receive instant feedbackby seeing the appropriate value displayed. If you do not see a value, the sheetset property has not been assigned a default value. You might find it helpful toinclude generic default values for all of your sheet set properties. For example,in the Description property for a sheet, enter the words “Sheet Description”.

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The instant feedback that you receive during the field insertion process is thereason why it’s helpful to update the title block drawing as part of a sheet setrather than editing the template file directly. If you opened the template filewithout it being part of the sheet set, you would receive no feedback regardingsheet set properties and because it would have no current sheet set to read from,the list of custom property names would be blank requiring you to type the exactname of the custom property rather than selecting it from a list.You will repeat the process to add fields for each attribute. Below are someexamples of typical title block data and the associated fields include one examplewith multiple fields combined in a single attribute definition. If you want to displaythe sheet number as 1 OF 20, 2 OF 20, etc. You can insert the Sheet number "OF"and then insert a custom field for the total number of sheets. AutoCAD will notcount the sheets for you, but at least you only have to enter the total number ofsheets in one location (the sheet set properties) and it can be read throughout theentire sheet set!

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After you update all of the title block data, you must remove the title block drawingfrom the sheet set and use it to replace the old sheet creation template.1. In the SSM, right-click on the sheet you have been working on and choose

Remove Sheet. The drawing is still open but it no longer belongs to the sheetset.

2. If you used BATTMAN, REFEDIT, or BEDIT to update the attribute definitions,you must erase the existing title block and reinsert it to ensure the attributevalues use the newly added fields.

-Or-If you used EXPLODE to update the attribute definitions, you must redefine theblock (BMAKE).1. From the File menu, choose SAVEAS.2. In the Save Drawing As dialog box, select the appropriate file type (DWT, DWG,

or DWS), and select the sheet creation template file to overwrite. Prior tosaving the file, it is a good idea to verify the file name and path of the sheetcreation template in the Sheet Set Properties to ensure that the one youoverwrite is the same one that is being used by the sheet set.

After you replace your previous title block template with your new version, youshould verify that all the title block fields function properly. You can do this bycreating a new sheet using your new template and then reviewing and editing theassociated title block data. Once you have verified that your title block dataupdates appropriately you are good to go! New sheets that you create using yourtitle block will automatically display the current sheet information and, with littleeffort, you can replace the title blocks in the existing drawing layouts that youimported. Simply erase and purge the old titleblock definition from existingdrawings and insert the new titleblock. You don’t have to reenter the attribute databecause it is stored in the sheet set and automatically read by the title block fields.

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You can create any number of named page setups and easily restore them for anylayout. For example, you might create one named page setup called Final Plot thatplots the layout to PDF format on a D-size sheet at a scale of 1:1, and a second onecalled Test Plot that plots the extents to your LaserJet on a letter-size sheet,scaled to fit.You are probably familiar with the Page Setup Manager but you may not have usedit to save a named page setup. The Page Setup Manager automatically displayswhen you try to access the page setup for a model or layout tab. By default,AutoCAD creates an unnamed page setup for the current tab. If you select theModify button, you can change the page setup options for that particular layout(or model). However, without using named page setups, you have to repeat theprocess for every layout. Using named page setups, you can set the options onetime and then easily apply them to any layout. The process for creating namedpage setups is simple. Once they are created, named page setups will save youclicks and time!1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup Manager. You can also right-click on

the model or layout tab to find the Page Setup Manager.2. Choose New.3. In the New Page Setup dialog box, enter the name of the page setup. Possible

names might include: Test Plot, Final Plot, PDF, DWF Monochrome, etc.

Step 13: Plotting using any page setup

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4. In the Page Setup dialog box, specify the device and other page setup optionsand then choose OK.

5. Continue to create new page setups for the various page setup configurationsyou might need.

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6. In the Page Setup Manager, select the named page setup you want to use forthe current layout (or model) and choose Set Current.

All of the named page setups are saved in the current drawing but you can use theImport option to access named page setups from other drawings. Ideally, youwould create all your named page setups in a template file so that they areautomatically included in new drawings and easily accessible from a centrallocation to import into existing drawings.Imagine that a design partner sent you a set of drawing files with 100 sheets. Youwant to plot all of the sheets to fit on a letter-size paper using your LaserJet.Unfortunately, each of those 100 layouts has been saved to plot to E-size paper ona DesignJet. Has this ever happened to you? What do you do? Using traditionalmethods, you probably open a drawing, select the layout, choose Plot, set thedevice, set the paper size, set the plot area, set the scale, and send it to the plotter.And then, repeat the same process 99 more times! If you are a full-time plotter,you might think of it as job security! Otherwise, you probably consider it anincredible waste of your valuable time!

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Sheet set manager enables you to use named page setups to quickly plot an entiresheet set (or any selected sheets within it) to any page setup configuration. Whenyou create a new sheet set, AutoCAD uses a default template file for the namedpage setups. If you already have a template file for creating new drawings, you canuse that same template file to store your named page setups.If you’ve been following along with this process, you created a template file inStep 11: Creating new sheets. You can use that same template file for named pagesetups or you can use a completely different file.First, you need to assign your sheet set to use your template file for page setups.It doesn’t matter if your template file doesn’t yet contain named page setups.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose

Properties.2. Click on the Page Setup Overrides File. The browse button will display within

the field.

3. Select the browse button and navigate to the template file you want to use fornamed page setups.

4. Select the template file and choose Open. If the template file you selected doesnot contain page setups a warning dialog box will display. Select OK to dismissthe warning dialog.

5. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, choose OK.Then, you need to create named page setups. If your template file already containsnamed page setups, you can create additional ones or modify the existing ones.1. Right-click anywhere in the sheet list and choose Publish>Manage Page

Setups. If your template file already includes some page setups, they will bedisplayed in the Page Setup Manager.

2. In the Page Setup Manager, choose New.

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4. In the New Page Setup dialog box, enter a name for the page setup. Possiblenames might include: Test Plot, Final Plot, LaserJet Letter-size, DesignJet E-size, E-size Monochrome, etc.

5. In the Page Setup dialog box, specify the device and other page setup optionsand then choose OK. The named page setup is automatically written to thetemplate file. This is one of the few sheet set functions that might writeinformation to an existing file without you knowing it. The only other ones arethe “hints” that were described near the end of Step 1: Creating a new sheet set.

6. Continue to create new page setups, modify existing ones, or import namedpage setups from other files. All of the page setups in the template file will beavailable for you to use when plotting from the Sheet Set Manager.

7. Close the Page Setup Manager

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Now that your template file includes named page setups, you can easily plot yoursheet set to any configuration that is stored in the named page setups.1. Right-click on the sheet set title or any combination of sheets that you want to

plot.2. Choose Publish>Publish Using Page Setup Override. Notice the page setup

options that you created.3. Select the named page setup that meets your need for the current plot.Think of how much time you will save by not having to open and reconfigure everylayout each time you want to plot to a different device, scale, etc. And, since thesename page setups are saved in a template file, the next time you create a sheetset, the process will be even easier! Just use the same template file!

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Implementing Sheet Sets for Maximum Efficiency

If you create “sheets” using traditional tools, you might create a drawing usingyour template and then attach external references of your model, create viewportson the layouts, set the viewport scale, and insert a view label to describe thatparticular view or detail. The same concepts apply using sheet set functionality,except the process is automated!Assuming your xref drawings are in a particular folder on your hard drive (or on anetwork drive), you can add that folder (or folders) as a sheet set property. Thiswill enable you to have easy access to your xref drawings from within the SheetSet Manager.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose

Properties.2. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, select Model view and choose the

button to access the Model view dialog box.

Step 14: Creating sheet views

To take full advantage of sheet set functionality you mayneed to change your workflow a little. It’s not a drasticchange but depending how far along you are with yourproject, you may want to wait to implement the followingsteps until you start a new project using an appropriateworkflow.

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3. In the Model view dialog box, choose Add and navigate to the folders thatcontain the xrefs (model geometry) that you want easily accessible for thissheet set. You can add as many locations as you want.

4. Choose OK to close all of the dialog boxes and accept the changes.So far all of your work in the Sheet Set Manager has been on the Sheet List tab.However, as you have probably noticed, there are two other tabs: Model Views andSheet Views. The Model Views tab displays a tree view of the resource drawinglocations you added in step 3 above and you can add locations directly from theModel Views tab. If you expand the file location node, you can see all the foldersand drawings in that location. If you expand a drawing node, you will see thenamed model space views within that drawing. If the drawing does not containnamed model space views, it will only expand as far as the drawing file itself.Using the Model Views tab, you can easily add content to your sheets. Rather thangoing through the manual process of attaching an xref and creating and scaling amodel space viewport, you simply drag a resource drawing onto your sheet.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, select the Sheet List tab.2. On the Sheet List tab, open a sheet to which you want to add content.3. Select the Model Views tab.4. On the Model Views tab, navigate to the drawing file you want to attach as an

xref in your sheet.

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5. Select a drawing or named model space view withinthe drawing and drag it onto the sheet. You cansimply pick a point on the layout and AutoCAD willautomatically determine an appropriate scalebased on the size of the drawing/view and layout.However, since you probably want the new layoutviewport to be at a particular scale, you can specifythe scale before you place the viewport on thelayout.

6. Before you specify the insertion point for the newviewport, right-click and select an appropriate scalefrom the list.

7. Specify the insertion point to place the viewport inthe drawing.

So what exactly happened during this process? Nothing magic! AutoCAD didexactly what you do using traditional methods, but it did it in a lot fewer steps!AutoCAD attached the resource drawing file to the sheet drawing as an externalreference with an insertion point at 0,0. It created a layout viewport and set theviewport scale. Regardless of whether you select a drawing or named model spaceview from the Model Views tab, AutoCAD attaches the entire drawing. Yourselection (the dwg or a particular model space view) determines how much of thatxref will be displayed in the new layout viewport. If you select a drawing, the newlayout viewport displays everything that was visible in model space of the xref file.If you select a named model space view, the new layout viewport displayseverything that was visible in that named view; taking into account the layervisibility as well as the view boundaries. If you are not familiar with named views,this is a good time to learn more about them.While the behavior above is likely very similar to how you already work with xrefs,the automated behavior may require you to change some of your existingworkflows. For example, you may need to start using named views and ensuringthat each named view or xref has only the necessary information with anappropriate insertion point of 0,0.

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When you create sheet views, you probably want those sheet views to be labeled.Using traditional methods, you probably insert a block that uses attributes todisplay the view number, title and scale. You can continue inserting your view labelblock just like you’ve always done, or you can save some steps by assigning yourview label block as a property in the sheet set.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose

Properties.2. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, select Label Block for Views and choose

the button to access the Select Block dialog box.

3. In the Select Block dialog box, navigate to file that defines your standard viewlabel block. Your view label block might be defined in its own drawing (DWG) ortemplate (DWT) file or it might exist as a block definition within a largerdrawing or template file.

4. If your view label is its own file, select the option: Select the drawing file as ablock.

Step 15: Adding view labels

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-Or-If your view label is a block definition within a drawing or template, select theoption: Choose blocks in the drawing file and then select the appropriate blockdefinition. You can only assign one view label block to a sheet set.

5. Choose OK to close both dialog boxes and accept the changes.Now when you create new sheet views using the Model Views tab, AutoCAD willautomatically insert the view label block for you. It places the view label block withits insertion point at the lower left corner of the viewport. You can then usetraditional methods to enter the view number, name, and scale. But, wouldn’t it begreat if AutoCAD entered all of that information for you??? Ahhh Haaaa!! That iswhy we need Fields!

As you learned in the previous step, you can assign the Label Block for Viewsproperty in your sheet set so that it automatically inserts a label block when youcreate a view from the Model Views. While you can manually edit the values for theblock data, such as viewport scale, view title, and view number, wouldn’t it begreat if that process was automated? It can be! Assuming you already assigned theLabel Block for Views property in the Sheet Set Properties according to theprevious step, you can simply replace the default attribute values with theappropriate Fields! If your label block does not contain attribute definitions, youcan define block attributes using traditional methods and then follow thisprocedure.

Step 16: Automating view label data

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1. Open the drawing containing the source block definition. This is the drawingwhich is being used by the Label Block for Views in the Sheet Set Properties. Itis very important that you make sure you are editing the block definition whichis being used by the sheet set. You might have several versions of a block andif you are editing one version, but testing a different version, you will makeyourself crazy trying to troubleshoot! The time you take verifying that the exactpath and file name being used by the sheet set matches the one you areediting, will be worth it!

You will need to edit the Default value for each of the attribute definitions. Atypical view label block would include attribute definitions for the view number,name and scale. Your block might include additional information as well, but thesethree are the most common. The method you use to update the attribute definitiondepends somewhat on whether the block is stored as its own drawing or as a blockdefinition within a drawing.You want to ensure that you are editing the attribute definition NOT the attributevalue in the block instance. How do you know the difference? The attributedefinition says “Default”, whereas the attribute value says “Value”. If you insert afield in an attribute “Value”, it may appear to work properly, but if the instance wasupdated to include a field and the definition was not, the next time someoneerases the block instance and reinserts it, the field data will no longer be there.

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2. If your label block is stored as its own drawing, go to the next step. If yourlabel block is stored as a block definition within your drawing, insert andexplode the label block (alternate methods include Battman or the BlockEditor). When you explode a block with attributes, the attribute values (left) arereplaced with the attribute definitions (right).

3. Double-click on the attribute definition for the view number.4. In the Edit Attribute Definition dialog box, right-click in Default and select

Insert Field.

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5. In the Field dialog box, select the SheetSet Field category, theSheetSetPlaceholder Field name, the ViewNumber Placeholder type and anappropriate format and then choose OK.

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6. Select the attributedefinition that you justedited, right-click andchoose Properties.

7. In the Properties window,set the Preset property toYes. Since the Field will beentering the attributevalue for you, you do notwant to prompt the user toenter the information asyou would have done usingtraditional attributedefinitions. Setting thePreset property to yes willprevent AutoCAD fromasking for a value when theblock is inserted.

8. Repeat steps 3-7 to add fields to each of the attribute definitions by selectingthe appropriate Field name. For example, use ViewTitle to display the name ofthe view and use ViewportScale to display its scale.

9. Redefine the view label block using the Block command (not necessary if youuse BATTMAN or the Block Editor) and save the drawing. Keep in mind that theinsertion point you specify will determine how the block is inserted relative tothe viewport as described in the previous step.

That is all it takes to make your old view label block smarter! Now you can try it outby creating a new sheet and then dragging a view from the Model Views tab ontothe sheet. The view label should automatically display the viewport scale and viewtitle. By default, the view title uses the name of the named model space view or thedrawing depending which one you inserted from the Model Views tab. There is nodefault number associated with the view but you can easily change the viewnumber and the view title in the Sheet Set Manager using the Sheet Views tab.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, select the Sheet List tab.2. Right-click and choose New Sheet. When creating and testing sheet set fields,

always create a new sheet to ensure that you are using the appropriate (new)definitions. If you add a new view to an existing sheet which already containsyour old view label block definition, it will use that definition rather than theone you updated in the source file and you'll spend all your time trying to "fix"a problem that doesn't exist.

3. Open the new sheet.

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4. Select the Model Views tab and drag a view or drawing onto your sheet. Whenyou add a new view to your sheet, that new view will automatically display onthe Sheet Views tab.

5. Select the Sheet Views tab. This tab displays all of the sheet/layout viewscreated by the Sheet Set Manager. You can display the view list by sheet or byview category.

6. Right-click on the newly-created view and choose Rename & Renumber.7. In the Rename & Renumber dialog box, you can enter a view number and/or

change the view title and then choose OK. The field value in the view labelblock will update the next time the drawing regenerates (i.e.: during an Open,Save, Plot, etc.) or you can use the REGEN command to force a regeneration.

Now that your drawing is using field data, it is CRUCIAL that you do not edit thoseattribute values using traditional methods. For example, if you want to change theview title, it might be tempting to double-click on the inserted view label block andenter the new title. If you do that, you've replaced the dynamic field data withstatic old text and the intelligence you gained from fields is gone. Unfortunatelythere is no way to prevent users from making this mistake so it can only beavoided through education! If you see a field in a drawing (text with a greybackground), never edit it! That data is being read from somewhere else and youneed to edit the source, not the attribute value! In most cases that source datamust be edited in the Sheet Set Manager.

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Most sheet sets contain information that is interrelated. For example, a view onone sheet might refer to a view on a different sheet. Using traditional methods,you can manually maintain the text references between sheets but that processcan be tedious and error-prone. You can dramatically improve your productivityand minimize errors by updating your existing blocks to include fields. In additionto automatically updating textual data as changes occur, hyperlinks enable you toquickly open the sheet that is referenced by the callout and zoom to theappropriate view.The process for automating callout data is very similar to automating block labeldata. However, unlike view label blocks, you can assign multiple callout blocks toyour sheet set. You will need to update the default value of the attributes toinclude fields. If you have multiple callout block definitions, you will need torepeat this process for each one. If you combined your callout blocks into a singledynamic block, then you will only have to add fields to that one dynamic blockdefinition.1. Open the drawing that contains the callout block from your source library. The

callout block might be its own little DWG file or it might be a block definitionwithin another drawing, such as a template.

Step 17: Automating callout data

You will need to edit the Default foreach of the attribute definitions. Atypical callout block would includeattribute definitions for the viewnumber and sheet number. Your blockmight include additional information aswell, but these two are the mostcommon. The method you use to updatethe attribute definition dependssomewhat on whether the block isstored as its own drawing or as a blockdefinition within a drawing. You can useany method (BATTMAN, etc) that youwant. However, you want to ensure thatyou are editing the attribute definitionNOT just the attribute value in the blockinstance. How do you know thedifference? The attribute definition says“Default”, whereas the attribute valuesays “Value”. A good rule of thumb is toNEVER insert a field in an attribute“Value”. It may appear to work properly,but if the instance was updated toinclude a field and the definition wasnot, the next time someone erases theblock instance and reinserts it, the fielddata will no longer be there.

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2. If your callout block is stored as its own drawing, go to the next step. If yourcallout block is stored as a block definition within your drawing, insert andexplode the callout block (Alternate methods include BATTMAN or the BlockEditor. If you are editing a dynamic block, you should use an alternate methodbecause exploding will lose the dynamic block parameters and actions). Whenyou explode a block with attributes, the attribute values (left) are replaced withthe attribute definitions (right).

3. Double-click on the attribute definition which represents the view number.4. In the Edit Attribute Definition dialog box, right-click in Default and select

Insert Field.

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5. In the Field dialog box, select the SheetSet Field category, theSheetSetPlaceholder Field name, the ViewNumber Placeholder type, specify anappropriate format, select Associate hyperlink, and then choose OK. Using theSheetSetPlaceholder field in your callout block enables you to define blockattributes for fields that are not associated with any particular sheet or sheetset. Associating a hyperlink will enable you to click on the inserted calloutblock to open the associated sheet and zoom into that particular view number.

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6. Select the attribute definition that you just edited, right-click and chooseProperties.

7. In the Properties window, set the Preset property to Yes. Since AutoCAD willenter the attribute value for you (via field data), you do not want to prompt theuser to enter the information as you would have done using traditionalattribute definitions. Setting the Preset property to yes will prevent AutoCADfrom asking for a value when the block is inserted.

8. Repeat steps 3-7 to add a field to the attribute definition for the sheet numberusing the SheetNumber placeholder type.

9. Redefine the callout block using the Block command (not necessary if you useBATTMAN or the Block Editor) and save the drawing.

That is all it takes to make your old callout block(s) smarter! Now you need toassign your callout block(s) to the Callout blocks property in your sheet set.1. In the Sheet Set Manager, right-click on the sheet set title and choose

Properties.2. In the Sheet Set Properties dialog box, select Callout Block and choose the

button to access the Select Block dialog box.3. In the Select Block dialog box, navigate to file that contains your updated

callout blocks. As mentioned previously, your callout blocks might be defined intheir own drawing (DWG) or template (DWT) files or they might exist as a blockdefinitions within a larger drawing or template file.

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4. If your callout blocks are individual drawings, select the option: Select thedrawing file as a block.

-Or-If your callout blocks are definitions within a drawing or template, select theoption: Choose blocks in the drawing file and then select the appropriate blockdefinitions.You can assign any number of callout blocks to a sheet set.

5. Choose OK to close each of the dialog boxes and accept the changes.

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Now you’re ready to test it out!1. In the Sheet Set Manager, select the Sheet List tab.2. Open a sheet to which you want to add a callout.3. Select the Sheet Views tab. This tab displays all of the sheet/layout views

created by the Sheet Set Manager.4. Right-click on the view that you want to reference in your callout and choose

Place Callout Block. The first time you do this, the Place Callout Block cascadingmenu option may display the option to Select Blocks. You can choose the SelectBlocks option and then select all the callout blocks that you want to beavailable from the Sheet Set Manager. Subsequent access to the Place CalloutBlock cascading menu will display all the blocks that you selected.

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5. Select the callout block you want to insert and place it on the sheet. The viewand sheet numbers should automatically display in the callout.

6. Hover the cursor over the callout block and press Ctrl as you select the view orsheet number. If you select the sheet number, AutoCAD will open theappropriate drawing sheet. If you select the view number, AutoCAD will openthe drawing as well as zoom into the appropriate view.

Now that your drawing is using field data, it is CRUCIAL that you do not edit thoseattribute values using traditional methods. For example, if you want to change theview number or sheet number on the callout, it might be very tempting to double-click on the callout block and enter the number for the Value of that block instance.If you do that, the intelligence you gained from fields is gone. Unfortunately thereis no way to prevent users from making this mistake so it can only be avoidedthrough education! If you see a field in a drawing (text with a grey background),never edit it! That data is being read from somewhere else and you need to edit thesource, not the attribute value! In most cases that source data should be edited inthe Sheet Set Manager. Since a callout is reading the view and sheet numbers froman existing view/sheet, you need to change the view or sheet number on the ViewList (Sheet Views) or Sheet List tab. Do not forget to REGEN your drawing toensure it displays the most current field data.By the way, if you are familiar with sheet set view categories, you may wish to usedifferent callout blocks for different types of views. For example, you might have aview category called Elevations that points to one set of callout blocks and a viewcategory called Sections that points to a different set of callout blocks. You can usethe Sheet Views tab to assign callout blocks to different view categories.

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Conclusion Congratulations! You’ve made it through all the steps to

Master AutoCAD Sheet Set! If you’ve followed along,

creating your own sheet set as you read, you are a Master! If

you’re just getting started with sheet set functionality, you

have the information! Now you just need a few minutes,

here and there, to begin implementing it.Good luck and remember these Dos and Don’ts:1. Do verify that the block you are editing is the same version as the one being

used by the sheet set manager.2. Do create a new sheet each time you test updates to your attribute definitions

to ensure that you are using the new block definition.3. Do erase and reinsert existing block insertions if you have updated the block

definition with fields.4. Do not insert fields in attribute values (block instances).5. Do not directly edit field data (grey text) in a drawing.

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